The resettlement building cost the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) some P10 million to build on a 3.9-hectare land owned by the Pampanga provincial government.
The permanent resettlement center, which would relieve public school buildings from the usual pressure of evacuees during disasters, was inaugurated over the weekend by Social Welfare Sec. Dinky Soliman and Pampanga Gov. Lilia Pineda.
“DSWD allotted P10 million for its construction in a 3.9-hectare property of the provincial government. In turn, we provided P3.5 million as counterpart for the construction and P4.9M for fencing,” Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer Angie Blanco said.
The lot was purchased by the Pampanga government from National Housing Authority (NHA) at the cost of P5.9 million. Three hectares were used for evacuation center building while the rest provided space for 106 families which had squatted in the area before the purchase.
The NHA also spent P9.7 million for the demolition of old structures and provision of shelters for the displaced families.
Blanco said the permanent evacuation building could take in around 660 persons during calamities and has separate comfort rooms for males and females, a communal cooking area, wash area, breastfeeding area, medical services room, and psychosocial services room.
Pineda has been batting for the construction of permanent resettlement areas in disaster prone areas in Central Luzon so as not to disrupt classes in public schools which have always been used as evacuation centers in times of flooding and other forms of disasters, not only in her region but also all over the country.
Meanwhile, the provincial government also eyes the construction of more temporary evacuation centers on a 2.6 hectare property in Barangay Malusac, Sasmuan which can accommodate 840 persons and another two-hectare lot in barangay Sta. Catalina, Lubao which can cater up to 200 persons.
